1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to processes for cleansing water in swimming pools, ponds and the like. More specifically, the present invention includes a process of biologically cleansing water by promoting growth of biomass therein, which causes a depletion of the nutrients necessary for biomass growth. Nitrates are one of the key nutrients necessary for the perpetuation of biomass, or algae, and the object of the process is to promote growth of the biomass until the nitrates have been depleted to an acceptable level. When the nitrate levels reach an optimal level, the biomass is removed from the water, without oxidizing or destroying the biomass, leaving clean water with low nitrate and nutrient levels. This process allows water to be cleansed of the very nutrients that are necessary for algae growth, making the water an inhospitable environment for algae and keeping the water clean and clear. Chemical treatments will require significantly lesser amounts of chlorine and other chemicals to maintain clean, clear water, after the application of the instant process.
Swimming pool owners continually fight a battle against algae and other water contaminants. The swimming pool offers algae a unique environment where water, pollutants, contaminants, chemicals and nutrients are deposited and collected. Nitrogen rich compounds and other nutrients are constantly added to the swimming pool from sources such as fill water, rain water, urine and sweat from swimmers, and decaying leaves and grass clippings. In addition, nutrients may be added directly from lawn and garden fertilizers which may enter the pool from overspray, wind, or surface runoff. Evaporation serves to concentrate these nutrients.
The swimming pool industry routinely utilizes chlorine, oxidizers, or other chemicals for destroying algae and bacteria and thereby ensuring that other natural organisms responsible for recycling nitrogen are not present. However, the chlorine or other oxidizers themselves effectively recycle the nitrogen compounds back to a food source for algae, causing recurring and exacerbated algae problems.
If the increase in these nutrients is not offset by the removal of water from backwashing, draining or splashout, these nutrients begin accumulating. This accumulation eventually results in more difficult algae control. Where this accumulation is slow, the expense in maintaining water quality increases slowly with the gradual increase in algae problems. Rapid accumulation causes sudden problems with persistent algae growth. The nitrate levels recorded in different bodies of water closely correlate to the amount of chlorine, oxidizers and other chemicals necessary to prevent algae growth. Most swimming pools contain nitrate levels between 0 and 20 ppm, although in extreme cases, pools with over 200 ppm have been observed. Although nitrate levels are a key element in algae growth, and their presence is an ideal way to evaluate this procedure, many other nutrients and contaminants will also be removed during the instant process.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
______________________________________ Bernard, et al. 4,582,600 Hallberg, et al. 4,683,064 Mordorski, et al. 4,693,827 Shin, et al. 5,254,254 Schmid 5,490,934 Jensen 5,527,456 Jensen 5,573,669 Kimmel 5,670,046 ______________________________________
Generally, the prior art is directed to the purification of waste and sewage waters rather than swimming pools and ponds, and most of the prior art discloses continuous filter processes rather than batch processes, or they disclose the use of denitrifying organisms, primarily bacteria, which convert nitrate into nitrogen gas. The Bernard reference discloses an apparatus for the growth of biomass from a supply of suitable nutrient wherein the growth is controlled within a reaction vessel, and the end product is used for biological fermentation processes, or to purify sewage and industrial effluents.
The Hallberg patent teaches a process for decreasing the content of nitrate in ground water or surface water, wherein the water containing denitrification organisms is introduced intermittently through a number of injection wells or injection pipes arranged around one or more extraction wells or extraction pipes for purified water. This arrangement creates a continual denitrification zone at a distance sufficiently far from the extraction well or extraction pipe to protect against recontamination.
Mordorski discloses a method for accelerating the startup of biological nitrification systems for wastewater treatment and preventing or reducing the effects of toxic or inhibitory materials or excursions of pH, temperature or dissolved oxygen upon nitrifying organisms. This process is directed toward the reduction of soluble ammonia levels in wastewater to non-toxic, less toxic, or less inhibitory levels.
The Shin reference discloses a biological method for treating wastewater wherein a floating porous biomass carrier is added to a reactor, which is operated under aerobic, anoxic and anaerobic conditions sequentially provided in an appropriate order, depending on the type of pollutant to be treated.
Schmid teaches a process for providing biological denitrification of a previously nitrified wastewater, including the initial step of supplying to a tank an influent including a relatively small concentration of biomass and a fraction of nitrates. Effluent is delivered from the tank, and includes a biomass concentration substantially equal to the influent biomass concentration and is substantially free of nitrates relative to the influent.
The Jensen references disclose an apparatus and method for water purification by culturing and harvesting attached algal communities. This process includes the steps of providing a floway for cleansing the water of a waterway containing nutrients and other pollutants, utilizing growing attached algal turf, which indicates that this is a continuous process, and not a batch style process.
Kimmel teaches a multistage treatment system for treating nutrient-rich water containing nitrogen compounds, phosphorous compounds, and other minerals. The process includes three stages, each stage having a reaction vessel. The first stage contains an insoluble salt for precipitating phosphorous compounds, the second stage contains a microorganism retained on an inert substrate for converting nitrogen compounds, and the third stage separates precipitates from the water.
None of the prior art, however, provides a method for purifying water from a swimming pool, pond or the like, by promoting growth of biomass to the point of nutrient deprivation, eliminating the biomass by harvesting and not oxidizing or destroying the biomass, and thereby eliminating the nutrients which allow the biomass to grow, all in a single batch process.